Change can be a good thing

Total debt load...

Friday, January 23, 2015

sort of. I should have paid closer attention over a year ago when I refinanced my car loan. Grrr! When I originally purchased the car, I bought GAP insurance and wrapped it in to the loan. Well, I refinanced the car loan 6 months after my purchase and significantly reduced my APR. I did this through State Farm Bank and didn't realize that at the time, my insurance coverage also had loan/lease payoff on it. I have been double paying for this same coverage. Anyway, after researching it earlier this week I have come to find out that I can cancel the GAP insurance that is tied in to my loan and while I won't actually see the cash, it will be applied to my loan, therefore decreasing my total balance owed on the loan by about $800. And because my car is still covered by the manufacturer's warranty, I am cancelling the extended warranty as well. I don't plan on keeping the car for too much longer, it's not a good fit for our family now, so that will also reduce my loan balance significantly. All told, it should take about $4000 off my loan balance putting me in a much better position to be able to trade the car off. Woohoo! This time when I purchase a new car I will not let the salesman and finance person bully me in to buying more than I want or can afford. I'm not usually a pushover in situations like this and I have excellent credit, so I need to stand up for myself and not let them push me around. I will be filing my tax return this weekend as well and I should be getting a small refund, nothing excessive, but again, every bit helps. I also received a bonus at work yesterday and have sold several things on eBay that I've been wanting to get rid of. Yay! Let's hear it for extra income coming in.

Hope you are all having a GREAT January!

Current debt total: $221,157.88 (I'm going to be under $220K in no time!)

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Yesterday I sat down and figured out which paychecks will pay which bills, which rental income will pay down debt and put money into savings and whatnot. I'm sure this will probably change or shift as the year progresses, but it felt really good to plot it all out. If I'm able to stick to the plan I've made, I should be in really good shape by the end of the year and I will have made great strides in reducing my overall debt along with building a comfortable savings account. I am paid every other Friday, so I was having a hard time setting up a budget based on months. Instead, I plotted out each of my paydays and the date my rental income will come in, then figured out which bills will be paid out of the incoming money. I've included adding extra to my savings account along with way, this is on top of what I have already direct deposited into savings from my paycheck. I was feeling a little overwhelmed with facing the bills with having to pay rent at the apt. with the BF and my mortgage payment on my rental condo, but now that it's all plotted out, I feel really good about where it all sits. Plus, I'm a planner, I love to see it all down on paper. Dorky I know, but it works for me. :)

Monday, January 12, 2015

that was a great weekend and I didn't spend a penny! We had the most relaxing, fun filled weekend! We watched lots of football and several movies we received for Christmas. I made potato soup and we snacked on all kinds of goodies we already had in the cupboards. We worked out, we slept late, we even did a few chores around the house. I love weekends like this in which we have a fabulous time doing "nothing" together. When you can find someone that you enjoy doing nothing with as much as you enjoy going out with them, you have found a great mate! And I'm happy to report that I've found just that person. We have the best time together, no matter what we are doing. I love that!

Really not much to report from here, I have a couple large expenses coming up, but I'm happy to report that I have the money set aside for them already and they will not be adding to the debt total.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

I guess it's time I think about what my goals are for this year. I'm back at work after taking a week off over the holidays. I can't keep my head buried in the sand any longer. So, without further ado...here they are!

And although this last one isn't the easiest to measure, it's one I have been working hard on for awhile and I'd like to continue working on.

*Be more mindful of what I spend my money on and not be frivolous with my spending. Thinking before buying. Can I make do with that I have? Find a cheaper option? Buy used? Put that expenditure off for awhile?

I'd like to also continue working toward increasing my survey income and working on my Jamberry business, but not at the expense of spending time with those I love. I want to "live" my life and not always be ruled by what is going to help the bottom line the most. Make sense?

Happy New Year!

Current debt: $221,725.10 (hey, look at that, already down a bit since yesterday!)

Monday, January 5, 2015

to pay down the debt! I'm making good progress and feeling good about seeing the numbers drop. Let's hope I can keep this momentum up. Not too much coming up in the immediate future that should cause too many expenses, but I've been working at building up an emergency fund to help take care of those situations when then arise, so I should be good if any do. We had a nice NYE at a house party, then a relaxing weekend of cleaning up from the holidays, watching football and I made homemade soup yesterday. We went grocery shopping and a meal plan was loosely made for the coming week. I think we are both excited about the extra money we have to put toward our separate debts now that we have combined households and only have one rent to pay.

Other than that, not too much going on here, just looking forward to getting back in the swing of things now that the holidays are over. Bring on SPRING! :)

Current debt: $221,820.04 (where will this be 12/31/15???) Hopefully below $200,000!

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

I'm having a hard time getting head around the fact that tomorrow is the last day of 2014 and the time is flying by. This has been a great year and I'm hoping that 2015 is even better. I've found love this year and life is looking bright. I'm not 100% certain on my goals for 2015, and although I didn't reach all of my 2014 goals, I'm happy with the progress I did make. I made my annual loan payment to my parents, and reduced my overall debt by over $10,000. This next year I'm really going to try to reach that goal of at least $1,000/month.

I pulled my annual credit report and was happy to see there was nothing unfamiliar on it and my credit score as 775, so I'm happy. I will pull that again at this time next year and hope for an even higher number.

This year saw a lot of changes for me. I met a really great man and was surprised to fall in love. In fact, we just moved in together about a month ago. I was able to rent my condo out so that my mortgage and dues are covered in the rental income. I no longer have cable and power bills, the BF is paying those in full. He has 2 kids living with us so he is paying those while we each pay 1/2 the rent. He also buys more of the groceries as they eat a significant amount more than I do. I think I'll end up seeing an overall savings in my budget in the coming year. It'll be interesting to see how this works out.

Stay tuned for my debt reduction progress in 2015, may it be a year of great progress!

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

I have been busy lately, I'm not sure why, but Fall is always busier for me than Summer. Must be that school starts again, football season and I start getting ready for the holidays. I've been doing my planning for the season, getting a few gifts already and even wrapped! I have been planning what I am going to buy for members of my family and budgeting. I've also started a new business that I am absolutely loving and thoroughly enjoying. Have you heard of Jamberry Nail Wraps? No? Well, let me tell you about them.

Do your nails suffer from your nail-biting? Although Jamberry Nail Wraps don’t target a solution for that, it sure does help – and they look gorgeous! What is Jamberry? Chic and stylish, long-lasting, nail wraps! I sell Jamberry nails and was so excited when my friend Melissa first told me all about them. I was hooked after my first Jamberry purchase and couldn't imagine not getting involved in selling them as opposed to just buying and wearing them. Jamberry nails didn’t just look adorable, but the price of Jamberry nails beat salon prices, and they last longer (up to 2 weeks on your nails and up to 6 weeks on your toes). I work full time in an office and warehouse, constantly shuffling papers and opening cardboard boxes, all while rocking flawless Jamberry nails. Aside from no chipped nails, I love that Jamberry nails never fade, they have amazing patterns and styles & I absolutely love them.

You to can show off your personality with over 300 styles.“Jamberry is a good way for girls to earn some free Jamberry too. You can host online Jamberry parties to earn free products and discounts,” . Check out Jamberry Nail Wraps on my website and learn to love your manicures and pedicures, not to mention having a fatter wallet.

So, if you love having beautiful nails without the expense of a short lived manicure or pedicure, might I suggest you check out Jamberry Nails.You won't be disappointed!

If you are interested in hearing more about Jamberry Nails to be a consumer or a consultant, comment below and let me know if you'd like more information.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

I have been busily enjoying summer here in the great Pacific NW. We've had fantastic weather and I've been enjoying it to the maximum. And through the beauty of Facebook, I've reconnected with so many people and it's been fun to get out and meet up. Through one long lost college friend, I've found a new business venture that I'm excited about. Have you ever heard of Jamberry Nails? The are super fun, heat activated wraps that decorate your nails in so many different ways. There are fun and funky patterns, classic styles, sweet styles and beautiful solids in a variety of finishes. So much fun! If you've never seen them, check them out here. I've never been one to try a direct sales business, but this one was very little to buy in and I was hooked on the product the first time I tried them.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

It’s
hard for me to believe we are almost at the end of July and heading in to
August.So much going on and I’m really
enjoying the summer sun.I have 2
weddings to attend in August and thankfully I only have to buy a pair of shoes
to wear for one.The dresses I bought
for each at a thrift store and I couldn’t be happier with either of them.One I already had a pair of shoes for as
well, so I only need to find one pair of shoes.I also have a weekend out of town going to visit friends and the boyfriend’s
birthday all in August.Ooh, and my
parent’s anniversary, it’s a big one this year too.As I said, SO much going on!Thankfully none of these are things that should
be costing much money and I have had a little overtime lately, so I’ve been
able to pay some extra on my car.So far
in July, I’ve made payments totaling $1052 and will hopefully be able to fit
another $48 payment in there in order to round it out to an even $1100.I’ve been taking advantage of the nice
weather and spending a great deal of time at the pool at my condo, as well as
working out in the gym.Soon it’s going
to be football season, which is just about my favorite time of year.I have season tickets to a local college and
love to go to the games.I’ve even
started a little of my holiday shopping, picking up things as I see them on
sale and putting them away.I’ve made
good progress on my list and have come up with good ideas of what to look for,
for other people I’ve not yet bought for.

Lately
I seem to be getting a lot of survey opportunities from Pinecone Research.If you’ve never done surveys with them, check
them out here.I’ve never had a survey that I haven’t
qualified for, I always get to do the survey and they pay the very next
day!You can let your point build to
save up or you can cash out after each one and get paid $3 for each survey via
PayPal.I’ve also tested many products
for them and been given ample supply to last me more than a day or so.So far this year I’ve earned $ 937.40 doing
online surveys.Not too shabby!I could be using this money to put towards my
debt reduction or my annual loan payment to my parents, but instead I use it
for me, just for fun!Either shopping
for some new clothes or going out to a movie, dinner or what have you, it’s my
entertainment money.I have several
other survey sites on the right hand side of my blog and I’ve done pretty well
with almost all of them.Give ‘em a try,
nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Current
debt:$225,416.83 (going in the right direction,
just wish it were going faster.)

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Where does the time go? It's hard to believe we are halfway through 2014 and on the way to 2015. I've made some really great progress in so many areas of my financial life and in my personal life so far this year. I'm excited to see what happens in the 2nd half of 2014, so far it's been one of my best years in a long, long time. I wake up each morning happy with my life and look forward to seeing where it takes me going forward. I've met a great guy and we've been together since almost the start of the year, I've made good progress in my debt reduction, could be better, but it's headed in the right direction. And I've continued putting money away for my retirement, even finally starting to contribute again to my Roth IRA, it's been several years since I've been able to do that, so that feels really great! Lately I've been enjoying a lot of vacation time, most spent at home and I must say, I've really enjoyed it. Makes me think planning for retirement is EXTREMELY important and something I look forward to enjoying.

Disclaimer

The information viewed on this site is not meant to be construed as advice, I am not a financial professional. I am simply sharing my story of how I paid off my debts and how I personally manage my money now.